


for diamonds and gold

by melodramatic



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Adulthood, Blood and Gore, High School, M/M, Murder, Psychosis, Schizophrenia, Serial Killers AU, all that good stuff, joshler - Freeform, little bit of fluff in there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-03-01
Packaged: 2018-09-27 15:03:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10027100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melodramatic/pseuds/melodramatic
Summary: tyler's head wasn't right but neither was josh's





	

tyler was eight and eight-year-olds didn't have balanced views of the world nor did they understand why they seemed different from others (if they were different, that was).

so he didn't understand the classic do's and don't's of the world. because when people would talk in his head and tell him to do something, there was no way he would disobey them. they were powerful and they were part of him.

and when he was sitting criss-cross on the floor, dismantling his stuffed animals and barbie dolls, he didn't understand why his mother found it so upsetting.

"what are you up to, sweetie?" she asked, approaching him and sitting in front of him, the same way he was sitting.

tyler shrugged, "just doing what they tell me to do." he took the knife from his right side and stuck it in his dinosaur plushie, dragging it down the front and watching all of the cotton pop out.

his mother paused, watching him carefully. "who's they?"

tyler looked up at his mom and sighed. he then pointed to his head, "they." he said again, as if that clarified everything.

she looked around the room and saw that most of his other dolls were in tact, only a few of them had been pierced. she looked back down at the plushie he was currently ripping the stuffing from.

"why are they telling you to do that?"

tyler shrugged, looking back down at his toy and mumbling, "it's practice."

his mom stood up, "okay, honey," she took the knife from his hand and he looked up at her, frowning.

"let's stop with the... the practice, okay? we have to go somewhere."

"no, mom, i have to finish!" tyler stood up hastily and tried to take the knife back, "they'll get mad if i don't finish! i have to finish!"

she lifted the knife from his reach, "no, tyler, that's enough-"

"mom, you don't get it-"

"tyler. i said that's enough."

tyler put his hands on his head and started hitting himself. he squeezed his eyes shut, voices in his head getting louder and louder. it was so painful.

"ty, honey-"

he started screaming, the pain feeling like trash compactors on all sides of him, squeezing him tighter and tighter until his bones were cracking under the pressure. he screamed so loud, tyler's dad came running into the room, thinking the poor boy had been hurt. upon realizing nothing had really happened, both of his parents stood there for a second, not entirely sure of what to do.

they had read parenting books, they had gone to seminars, and they had had long talks with their own parents. no one said anything about what to do when your eight-year-old son was hearing voices that were telling him to mutilate his toys.

tyler suddenly lost all feeling in his knees as he felt himself hit the floor. his vision went black.

| - |

he was 13-years-old and time was not the only thing that was uncontrollably slipping through his fingers.

some kids had been talking about going down to the river after school, and although he wasn't invited directly, (he had no friends to recieve an invitation from) but he wanted to see what they were going to do. he just wanted to observe.

he convinced himself it wasn't as creepy as it sounded.

so he followed them from a safe distance and waited until they all were by the river. he hid behind a tree, only poking part of his head out.

he recognized three of the five faces that were there. one of the people he didn't recognize took a large glass bottle from his backpack and a swig, contorting his face and then passing it from person to person.

the last person said something when he was handed the bottle. he handed it back immediately, clearly not wanting to participate. tyler recognized him from his math class. he was quiet and sat in the corner, and he looked smart but no one really knew because he hardly spoke.

he tried handing the drink back, but one of the guys shoved him in the shoulder, calling him a name. again, the boy shook his head and the other guy grabbed the drink from his hand, passing it back around. they started talking and tyler was still watching carefully. only now he was only interested in the boy who wasn't interested.

he said something and the group laughed. except it almost looked like a mocking sort of laughter. the rude kid pushed his shoulder yet again, only this time using more force so that he fell.

he said something again from his position on the ground, and the bully statted to retaliate, slapping his hand against the boy's head.

tyler jumped from behind the tree, making his way to the group. a stick cracked beneath his feet, and they all snapped their attention his way.

"who are you?" the bully asked.

tyler took a pocket knife from his pants and aimed it at the bully.

"leave him alone," he demanded.

"what the fuck?" he backed up slowly.

tyler stomped his foot and swung the blade so that it made a gash in the kid's arm.

"i said leave him alone!" tyler yelled.

the kid cried out in pain, but nevertheless ran from tyler, and ran through the forest back home and the rest of the group ran with him.

tyler turned around and picked the boy up from the ground.

"hi. i'm tyler."

the boy stood up and wiped dried leaves from his pants, "i know. you're in my math class. my name is josh."

tyler pocketed the knife, "why was he trying to hurt you?"

josh looked down at his shoes, "josé just hates me 'cause i get better grades and the teachers like me more. he always gets in trouble. it's not my fault, but he blames it on me."

"that sucks."

"yeah. thanks for helping me out, though."

tyler shrugged, "you're welcome."

there was a silence and josh picked his bag up off the forest floor.

"do you want to come back to my house? and play video games?" tyler asked. it was a friday, after all.

"really?" josh inquired, stunned.

"yeah. i have mario '64. and more, but that's my favorite one right now."

josh clapped excitedly, "i love that one!"

"awesome! i'll show you the way," tyler walked in front of josh, leading him to his house. he knew his mom and dad wouldn't mind, especially since his therapist said it'd be good for him to have friends.

and sure enough he was right, as his mother and father were so happy to see him make a friend. his mother even offered to prepare snacks. tyler declined, leading josh straight to his room and shutting the door.

he put his bag down on the ground and turned to josh, who was by his dresser looking at his nicknacks.

"hey," josh said, pointing to a bottle of pills. they were tyler's anti-psych pills that he refused to take. sure, it "calmed" him down but it also made him constipated and it made his heart feel weird, so instead of taking two everyday, he washed two down the toilet everyday. when his parents checked his perscription and saw that he was apparently taking the pills they seemed to feel better about themselves.

"do you have to take these everyday?" josh asked.

tyler nodded.

"i have ones that look just like these. i have to take them everyday, too." josh picked up the bottle and scanned the label.

"really?" tyler asked.

"yeah."

"why? what do you have?"

josh put the bottle back down on his dresser.

"promise you won't tell anyone else?"

tyler walked forward toward josh and held out his pinky, "i pinkie promise."

josh shook their pinkies, and then told him in a hushed voice, "the doctors say it's psychosis. they make me take pills for that but also bipolar disorder i guess it's kinda like backup or somehing. what about you?"

"mine are just for schizophrenia."

"that's so cool," josh commented, "i've never met someone who has kind of the same condition as me. we should hang out more often."

tyler smirked, "you're right. we should."

| - |

"you know that kid? that kid right there. in the red hoodie."

tyler looked over his sandwhich to where josh was very indiscreetly pointing.

"isn't that the kid who always picks on you?"

"yeah. i fucking hate him. he thinks he's so much better than us 'cause he's a senior and we're only freshman."

tyler looked at josh, who was sitting very close to him. it was normal though, as they had become inseperable since tyler stood up for him at the lake a few years back. his eyes flicked up to where josh had started dying his hair, and his first color was a combination of blue and purple. it suited him very well.

tyler lowered his voice, "we should teach him a lesson."

"a lesson? like how?"

"like," tyler patted his jacket pocket, where he always kept his pocketknife, "let's _teach him a lesson_." he repeated and this time josh's eyes lit up.

"hell yeah. i know where he lives. we could follow him home and jump him on the way." josh suggested.

"i like your thinking. let's do it."

tyler grinned widely and josh reciprocated the action, loving the fact that he was the only one who had tyler's attention so often.

when the last school bell rang, tyler and josh met by the entrance. they spotted their victim and watched as he walked with some of his friends toward his house. they followed behind the group from a distance, only coming closer when the other kids went their seperate ways, leaving their target alone.

they were completely silent as they waited until the boy decided to take a shortcut home, going through an alley way. 

they looked at each other and smiled. 

they sped up their walking pace until they were almost directly behind him. tyler grabbed the back of his backpack and yanked him down, so that he fell on his back.

"ow, what the fuck!" he shouted. he blinked up at tyler and josh, propping himself up on his elbows.

"what the hell are you guys doing?" he asked, his voice only faltering slightly as he watched tyler take out his knife. 

tyler answered without hesistation, "we're going to teach you a lesson, mason." 

mason put one hand up, "woah woah woah, guys, wait-"

tyler stuck his knife through mason's hand and the boy screeched, immediately retracting his hand and cuddling it to his chest. tears were streaming down his face. he didn't look so tough anymore.

"my hand! my hand! oh my god, are you guys fucking insane?!" he asked, his voice now wavering significantly. josh put his foot down on mason's chest, pushing so that he hit the floor and the back of his head slammed against the concrete.

josh removed his foot and tyler immediately took his knife and pummeled it through the boy's chest, his breathing coming to a halt as his eyes widened significantly. his mouth moved, and indistinct words came out, but nothing was certain as his entire body relaxed, and he became stock still. tyler was still leaning over him.

he looked up and josh, whose mouth was agape.

"oh shit, i didn't know you were gonna kill him."

tyler shrugged, "he was getting on my nerves. i didn't like him much either." tyler stood up and tried to wipe the small blood stains from his jeans.

"what are we gonna do with the body?" josh asked. 

tyler looked to the dumpster on their right and pointed.

josh frowned, "but that's so cliché. we should be, like, cool killers. the kind where the body never gets found."

"i don't think we have many options," tyler said, "plus we can't drag him too far without someone seeing us."

"yeah, you're right," josh said reluctantly, "but next time let's find a better place."

"agreed."

they hauled the body into the dumpster and closed the lid. they walked out of the alleyway, seemingly normal. no one blinked an eye at them but then again there was hardly anyone on the street as it was. it wasn't a very populous city, and the only time someone passed through this neighborhood was if they lived there.

josh put his arm around tyler's waist as they walked, "y'know, you looked pretty cool actually."

"yeah?"

"yeah. you looked just like the people in the videos we always watch."

tyler chuckled, "are you serious?"

"yeah," josh said. he leaned in closer, "it was kind of hot, actually."

tyler laughed, and playfully pushed at his chest, "whatever, you weirdo." 

they both laughed at each other, and right before they parted ways, they pinkie promised that they wouldn't tell anyone what they had done. to anyone else it would've seemed childish, but their pinkie promises might as well have been contracts bound in blood.

| - |

tyler was sitting in his room, on his laptop and texting josh at the same time. he was currently looking up different torture methods used in olden days. it was for a history project, but it also gave him an idea.

his thought process was interrupted when his mother called his name from the living room.

he got up and when he caught site of his mom, she was holding the tv remote and nervously toying with her necklace. 

"do you know anything about this?" she asked.

tyler looked at the tv and read the news headline:

_breaking news: missing students_

"within the span of just one month, three students from talos high school seem to have gone missing," the news reporter stated, "the time of their dissapearances are just days apart, and authorities cannot be sure if these teenagers have been kidnapped, or if their state is similar to the one that a former classmate, mason stockholm, was found in earlier this year. either way, this is a frightening situation and we advise all parents to keep close tabs on their teenagers for the time being."

his mother muted and the tv and looked toward tyler.

tyler shook his head, "haven't heard anything about it." his ears were ringing and his throat was dry, but his appearance must've been convincing, because his mother seemed to calm down a bit.

"okay, just. be safe alright? i don't want you to end up on the news like these kids."

"okay, mom."

tyler went back to his room and typed out a message to josh.

_tyler (7:40): have you seen the news?_

_josh (8:01): no, why?_

_tyler (8:03):they're investigating about bella, joey, and frank._

_josh (8:04): i'm not worried._

_tyler (8:04): you're not?_

_josh (8:05): nah. investigating is their job. doesn't mean they'll find anything._

_tyler (8:07): still. we need to be extra careful now._

_josh (8:08): you're right._

_josh (8:08): do you want to come over to my place and play some video games?_

_tyler (8:12): i have a better idea. let's sneak out tonight. have some fun._

_josh (8:13): what happened to being extra careful?_

_tyler (8:13): doesn't mean we can't still have fun. let's meet by our usual spot at midnight_

_josh (8:13): sounds good to me_

_tyler (8:13): ;)_

 

"so what are we getting into tonight?" josh asked upon seeing tyler walk up to their meeting spot. they always met by the deli market that was a perfect halfway point between both of their houses. 

tyler walked up to him and put his arms around his waist, giving him a peck on the lips. it was such a new chapter they had begun, yet it was already so familiar to them.

"not sure, actually."

josh returned the gesture, wrapping his arms around tyler as well.

"you don't have a plan?" he asked.

tyler shook his head, "no. i kinda just wanted to get out of the house."

josh nodded, "well, i'm glad you don't have a plan. because i sure as hell do."

"what is it?"

"you know the swim instructor?" 

"yeah. coach hilton, right?"

"yup. i was in the locker room the other had and he left the office open, while he used the bathroom or something. i don't know, but i went through his phone and saw some very... compromising pictures." josh said, flicking his eyes to the rigbt.

"you went through his phone?" tyler asked, instead.

"yeah. it was just sitting there on the desk so i figured why not?"

tyler chuckled, "alright, i guess that makes sense. well what were the pictures of?"

"of some of the guys on the team."

"so?"

"naked."

tyler's eyes widened in shock, "what? are you serious?"

josh nodded, "yup. i guess he takes pictures while they're changing or something. and there's a lot. and some of the pictures were, like, close-ups. he probably forced a couple of them to keep their mouths shut about it."

"that's disgusting."

"i know."

"do you know where he lives?" tyler asked.

"if it's the same as his mailing address, then yes. it's on the school's website." 

tyler took his arms from around josh and reached into his messenger bag, discreetly showing josh the different selection of knives he had hidden, "well what are we waiting for?"

josh smirked and kissed tyler again, "let's go."

upon reaching the man's house, they saw the lights on through the blinds.

"shit. he's still awake," josh cursed.

"so?" tyler said, "let's see if there's an open window. we can sneak into a room he's not."

josh shrugged, "okay. we'd have to make it quick though."

"i know. c'mon, do i look like an amateur to you?"

josh chuckled, "oh shut up, let's just get inside."

they went around the perimeter of the house, but there were no openings. the back door was open, only there was still a screen there: meaning if they wanted to get in, they'd have to break the screen which would undeniably make some noise. so they decided to wait nearby, until the living room light shut off.

"look, he's getting ready for bed. now's the perfect time," tyler insisted. he reached inside his bag and took out two pairs of disposable gloves and two face masks. one for him, one for josh.

he took out one of his knives and cut the screen door just enough so they could climb through it. they looked around the house, to make sure there was no one besides coach hilton inside.

they hid behind the wall of the living room, waiting to see which direction hilton would exit from. josh reached into tyler's bag, grabbing his rope from it.

"i'll choke him out, then you slit his throat," he instructed. tyler nodded.

the bathroom light shut off, and the man appeared, stretching before making his way to the back door, slowly sliding it shut. josh stood up quickly, wrapping his rope around the man's neck and tightening it, so that his breathing and speech was blocked.

in the split second that coach hilton was so caught off gaurd that the didn't retaliate right away, tyler ran up to the man and dragged his favorite knife across his throat, right underneath where josh had the rope. the extra pressure from being strangled caused the gash to spurt blood quickly, and he struggled only for about a second more before his body went still. josh let go of him, letting the body collapse onto the floor. 

tyler stood over him, his legs on either side of the man as he watched the blood drain from his neck, his eyes still wide open.

it was almost poetic.

josh finally broke the silence, "where should we bury this one?"

"i almost don't even want to bury him. i want them to find him like this. look how picturesque it is."

josh agreed, "it does look really nice. i always like it when they lie on the side like that. makes the blood flow look more natural."

they both watched the body for a second before josh continued, "but we have a better chance of getting away clean if they take longer to find the body. plus we have to clean up. make sure there's no trace."

tyler nodded reluctantly, "yeah, you're right. let's bury him in the neighbor's backyard."

so they cleaned up, tyler (of course) came prepared with all kinds of cleaning remedies, and they scrubbed the place spotless until their noses were burning with the scent of bleach. then came the hardest and most time consuming part: burying the body. they chose the neighbor's yard and one dug the hole while one kept on watch. they took turns and thankfully they got away without waking up anyone from inside the house. 

the walk back was intense, as it always was when they had just commited a murder. they didn't mind though, as they held hand the entire way despite the cold nipping at their fingers. 

tyler snuck a look at josh, and he started to think he could make this his life.

[ - ]

josh watched tyler stand over the body of yet another victim. this one had gotten a bit messier than the others, as their attack had not gone as planned. there was blood staining tyler's face, tyler's hands, and tyler's clothes. 

josh had been getting the body bag from their car, as tyler planned to make this a quick killing while the man was asleep. except he wasn't asleep.

josh heard crashing and things breaking, so he rushed inside the house to find that the man had actually put up a pretty good fight, leaving tyler with all sorts of cuts and bruises. tyler still ended up victorious (as he always did), only this one was going to be much harder to clean up.

"woah, are you alright?" he asked as tyler slumped against the wall and slid down, breathing heavily.

he nodded and swallowed, "yeah, i'm fine. i just. he was awake and i walked right in on him getting dressed. shit. he was tough."

josh held out his hand and helped tyler get up. 

"aw, look at you. my poor baby," he said, wrapping his arms around tyler and pulling him into a tight hug. 

"let's get all of this cleaned up, and then we'll get you cleaned up okay?"

tyler nodded, "yeah, alright."

they cleaned efficiently, although josh did all of the heavy lifting. they hauled the body into the back of their car, and then drove to their newfound digging spot. 

it took about three hours to dig and bury the body completely, which was a little longer than it usually took but josh didn't mind doing the most taxing work since tyler was injured. 

by the time they got back to their house it was nearly 5am.

despite any protests, josh carried tyler bridal-style into their home, placing him down on the kitchen sink and then taking out his first aid kit, focusing first on cleaning the blood off.

"oh, man. he really did a number on you."

"i know. i can feel it," tyler replied, his face scrunching in pain.

josh peeled tyler's shirt off, and looked closely at the bruises that had formed there. he was halfway through bandaging some scars when tyler mumbled his name.

josh looked up, "yeah? what's up?"

"thank you," tyler said, his eyes beginning to get heavy with sleep.

"for what?" josh chuckled.

tyler shrugged, "for everything. i love you."

josh straightened up and kissed him deeply, tyler's soft lips reacting slowly.

"i love you too," josh said, pulling back.

he got tyler through a shower, and then layed him down in their bed, giving him a soft kiss on the forehead, then the mouth, then the chin. tyler hummed happily. 

"thank you, josh," tyler said again, opening his eyes briefly as josh tucked him in.

"you're welcome, tyler," he replied, settling down next to him.

and if anyone were to look in on them right now, they'd look like the nicest and purest couple on the block, but it only took one glance at their blood-stained laundry to see that was far from true.

still, the thought of it made tyler smile. because josh was cuddling him close and in his mind, that was far more important than what anyone would find faulty in their lifestyle.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you all for reading and i'd love any and all feedback! stay alive, friends  
> (the title of this work was taken from _Million Dollar Houses (The Painter)_ by Pierce The Veil)


End file.
